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6 tips for cycling at night - don't let the dark stop you riding

Embrace the darkness to extend your riding and training time

There’s no reason to stop riding your bike just because the sun has set. With some good quality lights and the right attitude, you can extend your riding time, and riding outdoors, even in the dark, sure beats riding on a stationary trainer staring at the wall or television.

Cycling under a full moon on a clear and crisp evening is an exhilarating experience, so here are six tips for embracing the darkness.

1. Lights. You’re obviously going to need some good lights, and fortunately, these days you can get some very bright and long-lasting lights for not a lot of money. LED technology has transformed cycle lights - it’s a far cry from the days of the Eveready bike lights.

- Your guide to the best front lights for cycling + beam comparison engine

Exposure Strada Mk6 - mounted.jpg

If you’re venturing out into unlit country lanes, you need a front light bright enough to illuminate your path and reveal potholes and other hidden dangers. The rear light wants to be bright and the run time for both lights needs to exceed the duration of your planned ride. It’s sensible to carry a couple of small backup lights just in case your rear light inexplicably fails. Better to be safe than sorry. Clearly, make sure the runtime of you lights exceeds the length of your planned ride.

- Winter cycling: 16 tips to keep you motivated

2.  Reflectives. While lights are obviously critical for riding at night, don’t discount the value of reflective clothing. The choices for reflective clothing has gotten much better in the past couple of years, with the likes of the Sugoi Zap and Proviz Reflect 360 offering full 360-degree reflectivity.

Proviz Reflect 360 Jacket.jpg

Research a few years ago showed that the up-and-down motion from pedalling can catch the eye of the motorist more than a large reflective stripe across the back, so think about reflective pedals, overshoes or ankle bands to help you stand out as well. Also, consider adding some reflective tape to your bike can be a good measure too - I have some on my mudguards for added visibility.

- Buyer's guide: the best reflective cycling clothing & accessories

3. Plan your route. Depending on what you want to get out of your ride, whether it’s a structured training session or just a case of getting the miles in, planning ahead and having a route in your head or on a computer can be a useful aid.

Riding at night probably isn’t the time to do a long steady 3-hour ride, so save that for the weekend and instead think about a short and focused session for a really effective 1-hour ride. Pick a short loop with a hill that you can ride repeatedly to provide some structure to your riding, and riding a short route close to home is ideal in case  anything happens. It’s also worth picking the roads carefully, and avoiding poorly surfaced roads and any that are likely to have lots of potholes.

night riding - exmouth exodus

4. Ride with a partner or group. Riding with a friend or a group is a good way to approach night rides. Having a regular with a club or group of friends is a good way to provide the incentive and motivation you might need to head out into the dark. There is also the safety in numbers and more help at hand in case of a mechanical issues.

- Survival tips for cycling in the rain

5. Be prepared for mechanicals. Fixing a mechanical in the dark isn’t much fun, so the first step before every night ride is to ensure your bike is in tip-top mechanical order, to minimise the risk of something failing when you’re far from home.

BTwin puncture repair kit - contents

Make sure to carry enough tools to fix most likely mechanical failures, from spare inner tubes to a well stocked multi-tool with a chain breaker. I carry the same spare kit as I would for a day ride, so that’s two spare inner tubes, a tyre boot, reliable pump and good multi-tool. Don’t forget the mobile phone in case the worst happens and you need to phone home. I always make sure to give the bike a quick visual once-over before a night ride, ensuring the tyres and brakes are in good conditions to hopefully spot any issues in advance.

6. Enjoy it. Don't forget to enjoy riding at night. Yes, it’s easy to be intimidated by the darkness, and the first time you set off from the comfort of a warm house out into the darkness for a 2-hour solo ride can be a strange and daunting experience. Riding at night is invigorating though and there’s less to distract you, and often, depending on routes, the roads can be much quieter once the rush of motorists to get home has died down. And hearing strange sounds over your shoulder can sure make you ride a bit faster too…

Riding at night will help you retain the fitness you gained over the summer and while other people are watching television, you can be smug in the knowledge that you can eat that second mince pie guilt-free.

Do you regularly ride at night? Any tips to add?

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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35 comments

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Sam3 | 3 years ago
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Point 1) is actually an area where riders need a tip about being considerate.

In this era of cheap LED's, too many riders overdo it and then needlessly blind everyone oncoming, from other riders, to pedestrians and even drivers.

You don't need the "brightest light in the shop". A modest amount of lumens is enough for the job.

Point your light downwards, not forwards, and it doesnt need to be illuminating the road (and everyone else) 30 yards away from you. At night you should be riding more carefully anyway.

Your relfectors are what most of you need to be visible rather than blinding everyone with the most "powerful" light in the shop.

 

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CyclingInBeastMode | 4 years ago
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If you're on narrow lanes, ALWAYS ensure to ride centrally particualrly around bends, in fact riding just to the left of the centre white line if there is one means those coming up from behind you will see your light far earlier on that bend than hugging the gutter.

Getting a brighter light so you can go faster is typical of the more is better and ignoring the Highway Code Rule 126 regarding going at a speed you can stop well within the distance you can see to be clear.  The brain can only take so much information in and react in a finite fashion, the less time you have because you're going at increased speeds means you're less able to react to stuff which = more chance of incident, even if you have a very good light.

Always, always ride within yourself, it's not a race and a few mph slower could be the difference between you getting home that night and not.

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Daveyraveygravey | 4 years ago
1 like

No-one has mentioned this, but I find drivers immeasurably more considerate at night than in daylight.  I ride rural roads at the moment, so no kerbs or white lines at the sides, the white lines in the middle of the road are faded or not there at all; whether it is this that makes drivers more cautious I don't know, but on an hour commute in the dark I rarely get one close pass.  Same road but in the daylight, it could be as many as 10.  In the dark they hang back and wait to be able to see much longer than in the daylight.

Something else to consider at night is really minor narrow country lanes may be worth avoiding.  In the daytime, these can be cycling heaven with little traffic.  But at night it's harder to see potholes and gravel on the surface, never mind branches overhanging or sticking out.  After heavy rain the surface of the road gets covered in small stones, leaves and other detritus, so the clear line for cycling is oftehn mych narrower.  It's also harder after rain, wet roads at night don't contrast with the verge, whereas a dry road surface is easier to spot. 

The comments at the start about what level of lumens you need seem way off to me.  If there are street lights, you don't need a bike light to see (or I don't, and I am mid fifties with one working eye) but to be seen.  I still have my front light on flashing when under street lights - the flash bounces off signs and other reflective surfaces too so pedestrians are more aware too.  Once out of town, I go to steady, probably something around 250 lumens is enough if you are cautious.  If you still want to charge around at 30kmh then go brighter, but please angle it down so it doesn't dazzle.

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CyclingInBeastMode | 4 years ago
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Sigma lights are my favoured, I bought some to hand out recently, the older PAVA is brilliant as the run time on high with 4xAA rechargeables exceeds anything on the market currently, you can also fit/remove in seconds, the beam pattern is perfect for road use and every bit lands in the areas you need.

The newer AURA series is pretty good, recently bought a new 60 Lux version as an additional light but only as it was a bargain private sale, I really didn't need another but you never know. Even the Aura 25 is very good and uses a 2xAA system, perfect for the casual user but still able to give you a light to see by in unlit conditions and excellent run time in excess of lights with internal batteries.

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ktache | 4 years ago
0 likes

I found out that Lupine make a few STVZO lights, powerful and yes, expensive.

Exposure have had some on their website for a while now, and some bike sites have them for preorder, there are prices but so far very little extra information.

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ktache | 4 years ago
0 likes

I had asked on a previous zombie article about lights, has anyone had any experience with the newer STVZO lights?  I'm thinking the current crop of powerful Exposure or maybe Lupine.

It might be nice to have a front light that would be dipped on roads, enough ompfh to see the road but patterned so as not to dazzle drivers, but then to be able to whack it up to full to see the complete trail.

New technology and all of that.

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tugglesthegreat replied to ktache | 4 years ago
0 likes

ktache wrote:

I had asked on a previous zombie article about lights, has anyone had any experience with the newer STVZO lights?  I'm thinking the current crop of powerful Exposure or maybe Lupine.

It might be nice to have a front light that would be dipped on roads, enough ompfh to see the road but patterned so as not to dazzle drivers, but then to be able to whack it up to full to see the complete trail.

New technology and all of that.

I'd be interested in this as well. My commute is road, parks and footways, I don't want to blind pedestrians, but my light seem to have the settings of 1000 lumen, 600, 400 and nothing. Are there any front lights with settings easy adjusted to be different intensities but with out the blackout option!?

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don simon fbpe | 5 years ago
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Simon E has it on the flash/strange light traces making the bikes look like tHey're going backwards.

What has Shakspeare got to do with anything? Britsh English uses got, wheras US English (or American as they prefer to call it in another attempt to put in distance between themselves and England) uses gotten,  in the current form of the language. It's an identifyer between the two countries, if the author was taught the language in the UK, they were taught to use  got, likewise gotten for the USA, If the author is British and uses gotten, then they are wrong.

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davel replied to don simon fbpe | 5 years ago
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don simon wrote:

Simon E has it on the flash/strange light traces making the bikes look like tHey're going backwards.

What has Shakspeare got to do with anything? Britsh English uses got, wheras US English (or American as they prefer to call it in another attempt to put in distance between themselves and England) uses gotten,  in the current form of the language. It's an identifyer between the two countries, if the author was taught the language in the UK, they were taught to use  got, likewise gotten for the USA, If the author is British and uses gotten, then they are wrong.

It's to show that language (English, especially) meanders, and in the face of that, some of the 'Americanisms' that are creeping back in is just more meandering. In the case of gotten, it'll mean picking up a word again that merely fell out of favour on this side of the pond.

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davel | 5 years ago
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Loads of 'Americanisms' are closer to the original English than our (UK's) current use - in many respects our English has evolved and deviated more. I suspect gotten is one of those examples - vaguely remember it popping up in some proper olde shitte at school.

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Simboid | 5 years ago
6 likes

'The choices for reflective clothing has gotten much better'

 

Really? This is what a professional journalist calls a sentence?

Please, somebody wake up the Editor and tell him his kids have hacked the site again.

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don simon fbpe replied to Simboid | 5 years ago
0 likes

Simboid wrote:

'The choices for reflective clothing has gotten much better'

 

Really? This is what a professional journalist calls a sentence?

Please, somebody wake up the Editor and tell him his kids have hacked the site again.

It's a stateside thing, I don't think we need to worry ourselves about such things over here.

EDIT: the main photo shows the riders riding backwards, which may also be a contibutory factor...

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Jack Osbourne snr replied to don simon fbpe | 5 years ago
1 like

don simon wrote:

EDIT: the main photo shows the riders riding backwards, which may also be a contibutory factor...

 

Yeah... I'm struggling with that one. 

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Simon E replied to don simon fbpe | 5 years ago
2 likes

don simon wrote:

Simboid wrote:

'The choices for reflective clothing has gotten much better'

 

Really? This is what a professional journalist calls a sentence?

Please, somebody wake up the Editor and tell him his kids have hacked the site again.

It's a stateside thing, I don't think we need to worry ourselves about such things over here.

EDIT: the main photo shows the riders riding backwards, which may also be a contibutory factor...

The weird effect is the flash firing then the shutter staying open. Rear curtain flash sync - when it fires at the end of the ambient exposure - would create a different effect.

The use of words like 'gotten' grates on me but most sites seem to use American English nowadays (or something approximating it)  2

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Deeferdonk replied to Simon E | 5 years ago
1 like

Simon E wrote:

don simon wrote:

Simboid wrote:

'The choices for reflective clothing has gotten much better'

 

Really? This is what a professional journalist calls a sentence?

Please, somebody wake up the Editor and tell him his kids have hacked the site again.

It's a stateside thing, I don't think we need to worry ourselves about such things over here.

EDIT: the main photo shows the riders riding backwards, which may also be a contibutory factor...

The weird effect is the flash firing then the shutter staying open. Rear curtain flash sync - when it fires at the end of the ambient exposure - would create a different effect.

The use of words like 'gotten' grates on me but most sites seem to use American English nowadays (or something approximating it)  2

I have just done a quick search of Shakespeare 's texts and he used "gotten" in at least 3 of his works.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Deeferdonk | 5 years ago
1 like

Deeferdonk wrote:

Simon E wrote:

The use of words like 'gotten' grates on me but most sites seem to use American English nowadays (or something approximating it)  2

I have just done a quick search of Shakespeare 's texts and he used "gotten" in at least 3 of his works.

Those darn Yanks, coming over here and re-writing Shakespeare.

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alexb | 5 years ago
2 likes

I've been a regular nightrider for well over 30 years. 

The most important things that I have learnt are that the temperatures can really drop at night, so packing extra layers is really important.

Plan for the worst, so carry tools, spares and a headtorch. You may find yourself stranded and too late to use public transport if you can't fix your bike.

Lights are good, but on dark lanes, you will get used to the darkness, and having too bright a light means you have no awareness of what's going on in the hedgerows and fields around you which is part of the fun of nightriding. Good rear lights are important, but if it is dark, you will stand out from a long way back. Carry a spare and spare batteries though.

I actually think that having a light high up is deceptive. On a dark road, a high mounted light can give the false impression that the rider is further away from the driver, reflectives are more important than lights in my opinion.

Reflective spoke clips are a brilliant and relatively cheap addition to the bike and really visible from a long way off.

Riding with an organised group can be a lot of fun. I'd recommend the Fridays if you are London or South of England based: https://www.fnrttc.org.uk/ and of course everyone should try to ride the Dunwich Dynamo at least once!

https://southwarkcyclists.org.uk/product/dunwich-dynamo-xxvi-2829-july-2...

Avatar
Deeferdonk replied to alexb | 5 years ago
2 likes

alexb wrote:

 

Riding with an organised group can be a lot of fun. I'd recommend the Fridays if you are London or South of England based: https://www.fnrttc.org.uk/ and of course everyone should try to ride the Dunwich Dynamo at least once!

https://southwarkcyclists.org.uk/product/dunwich-dynamo-xxvi-2829-july-2...

If you do the Dunwich Dynamo or any other group night ride, please don't have your rear light on flash mode. Sitting behind someone with red strobes flashing in your face isn't very pleasant.

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workhard replied to alexb | 4 years ago
0 likes

alexb wrote:

Riding with an organised group can be a lot of fun. I'd recommend the Fridays if you are London or South of England based: https://www.fnrttc.org.uk/ and of course everyone should try to ride the Dunwich Dynamo at least once!

https://southwarkcyclists.org.uk/product/dunwich-dynamo-xxvi-2829-july-2...

The Fridays also ride in Wales and the north of England (both sides of the Pennines)

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MsG replied to workhard | 4 years ago
0 likes

workhard wrote:

alexb wrote:

Riding with an organised group can be a lot of fun. I'd recommend the Fridays if you are London or South of England based: https://www.fnrttc.org.uk/ and of course everyone should try to ride the Dunwich Dynamo at least once!

https://southwarkcyclists.org.uk/product/dunwich-dynamo-xxvi-2829-july-2...

The Fridays also ride in Wales and the north of England (both sides of the Pennines)

And East Anglia too - Cambridge to King's Lynn  1

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felixcat | 5 years ago
3 likes

It's pleasant change to see two helmetless cyclists in a pic. on this site.

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risoto | 6 years ago
3 likes

I have become a bit obsessed with safety after the deaths of Mike Hall, Michele Scarponi and others recently. Since then I now always ride with lights on during daylight. Normally they are on flash or pulse during the day and steady at night. I think the flashing daylight mode really helps drivers, dog walkers etc pay much more attention. There was a Danish study done which showed a significant decrease in the number of accidents among cyclist using lights in daylight.

For night riding I always carry a helmet light, the Lezyne one with both front and rear light. It serves as a spare light if the main ones go out and will be indispensable to fix a puncture or other mechanical.

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Al__S replied to risoto | 6 years ago
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risoto wrote:

There was a Danish study done which showed a significant decrease in the number of accidents among cyclist using lights in daylight.

Do you have any more details about this study?

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nbrus replied to Al__S | 6 years ago
2 likes

Al__S wrote:

risoto wrote:

There was a Danish study done which showed a significant decrease in the number of accidents among cyclist using lights in daylight.

Do you have any more details about this study?

I found this link...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22884376

Abstract

Making the use of daytime running lights mandatory for motor vehicles is generally documented to have had a positive impact upon traffic safety. Improving traffic safety for bicyclists is a focal point in the road traffic safety work in Denmark. In 2004 and 2005 a controlled experiment including 3845 cyclists was carried out in Odense, Denmark in order to examine, if permanent running lights mounted to bicycles would improve traffic safety for cyclists. The permanent running lights were mounted to 1845 bicycles and the accident rate was recorded through 12 months for this treatment group and 2000 other bicyclists, the latter serving as a control group without bicycle running lights. The safety effect of the running lights is analysed by comparing incidence rates - number of bicycle accidents recorded per man-month - for the treatment group and the control group. The incidence rate, including all recorded bicycle accidents with personal injury to the participating cyclist, is 19% lower for cyclists with permanent running lights mounted; indicating that the permanent bicycle running light significantly improves traffic safety for cyclists. The study shows that use of permanent bicycle running lights reduces the occurrence of multiparty accidents involving cyclists significantly. In the study the bicycle accidents were recorded trough self-reporting on the Internet. Possible shortcomings and problems related to this accident recording are discussed and analysed.

Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

 

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WashoutWheeler replied to risoto | 6 years ago
1 like

risoto wrote:

I have become a bit obsessed with safety after the deaths of Mike Hall, Michele Scarponi and others recently. Since then I now always ride with lights on during daylight. Normally they are on flash or pulse during the day and steady at night. I think the flashing daylight mode really helps drivers, dog walkers etc pay much more attention. There was a Danish study done which showed a significant decrease in the number of accidents among cyclist using lights in daylight.

For night riding I always carry a helmet light, the Lezyne one with both front and rear light. It serves as a spare light if the main ones go out and will be indispensable to fix a puncture or other mechanical.

 

Yep me too, better safe than sorry. Rear Light is a Bontrager FlareR  and the front is a Lezyne Microdrive 500 neither particularly heavy both very bright with day flash programs and both good for at least 6 hours of riding. The Lezyne also has a very bright steady setting but only good for 60 mins. I also carry a Smart Lunar R1 as a backup or attached to my helmet.

I am sure some of the wanna be racers that pass think errh but I am not trying to kid myself I'm a racer, nice and steady does it for me mind you I am getting on a bit!

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embattle | 6 years ago
1 like

Good lights are important, as is positioning of them but much more important is actually having lights in the first place which still seems to be a worrying issue that quite a few still don't bother.

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roof30 | 6 years ago
2 likes

I always commute with at least two sets of lights on my bike, one set to flashing (the brightest set) and one on steady; also carry a spare set - just in case.  I also wear the Proviz Switch jacket (high viz in daytime and reflective at night) together with the Respro ankle bands which are also reversible high viz/reflective.  On my longer rides I have a set of Lezyne Femtos plus a set of Moon Nebulas; people tend to give my bike a wide berth as the Nebulas are very bright!  I may look like a Christmas tree but at least I'm alive to tell the tale.

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McHackety | 6 years ago
1 like

If on a long ride, take a portable power bank with you. Just in case your lights or phone fails (provided your lights are usb chargeable). Always take a spare rear light. I find positoning one on the bike and and one higher up (probably on the helmet) helps. Reflector strips are also good. I used these on the TCR on the back of the helmet, shoes and rear stays.  

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maxburgoyne | 6 years ago
1 like

On ebay I bought flashing light to go on my helmet. A red, flashing one facing backwards. It moves and at 7' up is more apparent to drivers.

I cycle after midnight in both towns and Shropshire countryside  - drivers are so dopey at night.

Prsonally found little difference between £80 lights and £15 ones but you pays your money ...

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fenix | 6 years ago
1 like

I think it helps if you know the roads too - night time isn't the time for discovering new pothole locations. 

 

And if you do have a mechanical remember you'll need a light to see by. So either a head torch or a light on your helmet.  You can't always use your main torch to fix punctures or whatever.

And yes always spare kit in case you need to stop. And I always pack a space blanket thing. Just in case I have a mechanical and I'm stranded for a while. 

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